Are+students+today+really+different?

This text was adapted from:

Milman, Natalie B. 2009. "Are Students Today Really Different?." Distance Learning 6, no. 2: 59-61. Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 9, 2015).

Are today's students different? Usually when a discussion starts about "digital natives, digital immigrants," (Prensky, 2001), "Generation Next" (Kohut, Parker, Keeter, Doherty, & Dimock, 2007) or the "digital generation" (Montgomery, 2007), I tend to change the focus of the conversation from these labels to the needs of learners and research-based, tried and tested __strategies__ that have resulted in positive __learning__ outcomes. I often do this because I find such labels problematic- it is important to __recognize__ that a digital divide (Dickard & Schneider, 2009) exists and is more pervasive than many might like to even consider. And, I am not convinced learners are really any different- it is our society that is and the tools with which we have to work and communicate that are different.

Another challenge with giving __labels__ to learners today, whether they were "born digital" (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008) or not, is that these terms and their meanings do not accurately __represent__ every person that might fall into such categories. These terms are full of assumptions and biases that can seriously __cloud__ an instructor's and employer's perception of an individual. Vaidhyanathan (2008) has written an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that raises a similar argument, as he notes:

Talk of a "digital generation" or people who are "born digital" … ignores the vast range of skills, knowledge, and experience of many parts of society. It ignores the needs and perspectives of those young people who are not socially or financially privileged. It presumes equal access to resources, time, knowledge, skills, and technologies. The ethnic, national, gender, and class biases of any sort of generation talk are troubling. And they are especially the case when discussing assumptions about digital media. (Vaidhyanathan, 2008, [paragraph] 9)

Therefore, it is important for educators at all levels, and employers and instructional designers as well, to recognize that while some individuals might fit the characteristics of various labels, it is very important to recognize that … an individual is, indeed, an individual, and untested __assumptions__ should not be made about him or her. In a virtual, distance learning environment, this takes on even greater importance, considering one does not have the opportunity for face-to-face interactions as one would in a normal setting.

While I am not convinced that learners today are different, I accept that it is possible that interactions with technology, and technology's influence on brain development might actually have __effects__ which we have not discovered or understood yet. For example, research on 24 adults … shows that regular use of the Internet by these individuals created double the amount of activity in their brains when compared to individuals who used the Internet irregularly (Interlandi, 2008). Even so, it is important to __remember__ that research in this area is new; therefore, any generalizations about the implications and effects of digital technologies on the human brain without more research on larger populations and populations with different backgrounds, is simply premature.


 * SHIFTING THE FOCUS ON STUDENTS AND THEIR NEEDS **

Whether one agrees with the idea that students today are different or not, it is imperative that educators, employers, and instructional designers shift their focus from "how students today might be different" to "how should I design instruction to meet the __needs__ of my target audience" and "what do I need to change to meet the needs of my learners?" This does not mean adding gimmicks, the latest technology, or other "bells and whistles" to keep learners' attention or just to seem "current" or "innovative." Rather, it means making thoughtful, informed __decisions__ about how to engage learners in the process of learning, accepting learners for who they are, understanding learners' strengths and weaknesses, helping them build on their strengths and diminish their weaknesses, and capitalizing on their "neomillenial learning styles" (Dede, 2005). It means putting learning and learners first, reflecting on what works and what does not, and changing instruction to meet the diverse needs of one's target audience- and not blaming individuals for being different than students one might have had 20 years ago.

New technologies will continue to challenge our __assumptions__ about teaching and learning, not only for distance education, but also for face-to-face and blended (hybrid) learning environments. Are today's learners different? I do not think so (until proven otherwise), but the digital tools available today for learning, teaching, and communicating are. Just think- numerous technologies available as this article goes to press did not even exist a few years ago!

REFERENCES
 * 1) 1. 1. 1. Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillenial learning styles: Shifts in students' learning style will prompt a shift to active construction of knowledge through mediated immersion. Educause Quarterly, 1, 7-12. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0511.pdf
 * 2) 2. 2. 2. Dickard, N., & Schneider, D. (2009, February). The digital divide: Where we are today. Edutopia. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from http:// www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
 * 3) 3. 3. 3. Interlandi, J. (2008, October). Reading this will change your brain: A leading neuroscientist says processing digital information can rewire your circuits. But is it evolution? Newsweek. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">[]
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">4. 4. 4. Kohut, A., Parker, K., Keeter, S., Doherty, C., & Dimock. (2007). How young people view their lives, futures and politics: A portrait of "Generation Next." Retrieved May 29, 2009, from <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">[]
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">5. 5. 5. Montgomery, K. C. (2007). Generation digital politics, commerce, and childhood in the age of the Internet. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">6. 6. 6. Palfrey, J., & Gasser, U. (2008). Born digital: Understanding the first generation of digitalnatives. New York: Basic Books.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">7. 7. 7. Prensky, M. (2001). Digitalnatives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved November 11, 2006, from <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20% 20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital% 20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">8. 8. 8. Vaidhyanathan, S. (2008, September). Generational myth: Not all young people are technology savvy. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14pt;">http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i04/04b00701.htm